The "Smartest Bar Six" at the Village Inn

 Buzztime is the on-screen trivia network available for free play at the Village Inn in Skokie (6050 Lincoln Avenue). Once you have settled in with an appetizer and a beverage, you can grab a Playmaker device and start playing Buzztime trivia.

 Playing as a guest is fun, but as a guest you'll miss out on many of the Buzztime features that keep regular players involved, interested, and intrigued. Joining Buzztime as a member will trigger these additional features, and improve your experience in the world of competitive on-screen trivia.

 Join Buzztime by visiting http://www.buzztime.com/ (do this on a computer, not on your smart phone) and clicking Get Started under Players; on the next screen click Sign Me Up For Free. Choose a username and a password, then enter your email address, zip code, and birthdate.

  Think carefully about your display name. This is the name that will display on the overhead screens whenever you play Buzztime. It does not have to be your real name, but it can be. Make it something you are proud of! (The Buzztime system will reject most inappropriate or obscene display names.)

  Your display name might reflect your alma mater, your nickname, or your passion for trivia. My display name is MIKI, which is the name of my favorite cat. My wife's display name is SALEM, which is the name of her favorite cat. (You can always change your display name down the road by going to My Profile and selecting Edit My Info.)

 As part of your Buzztime account, consider creating an Avatar, which is the picture that will display on-screen next to your name as you play Buzztime. It's easy to create an Avatar using the Network Avatar Creator. Use the built-in choices for gender, shape, style, background, and facial features. (Again, you can always go back later and modify your Avatar.)

  Now, whenever you play Buzztime, use your username and password when you 'login' on a Playmaker. (Note that passwords are case-sensitive; if you used lower case letters for your password, press the 'shift' key (once, to change to lower case) on the Playmaker before you enter your password. Note, also, that your Avatar will not display on the overhead screens until after you've played one entire Buzztime game.

  Here are some of the benefits of playing Buzztime as a member:

  • As a member, you will begin to earn (virtual) Badges when you play the regular lunchtime, afternoon, or late-evening games. Each category of questions (for example, literature) has its own Badge (for literature, it's a Book Worm Badge). You earn a Badge if you answer the question at full point value – 1000 – before time begins to "tick down." The outer border of a Badge tracks how many of that category you've earned: Silver=1, Gold=5, Platinum=10, Sapphire=50, Emerald=100, Ruby=200, and Diamond=500.

 • As a member, you will begin to accumulate PlayersPlus Points for every game you play. The number of points varies for each game; you might earn, for example, 500 PlayersPlus Points just for playing, then another 500 PlayersPlus Points for achieving a certain minimum score in that game. The tiny 'plus sign' in front of your display name will change color as you earn more PlayersPlus Points.

 • As a member, you will earn a (virtual) Gold, Silver, or Bronze Trophy if you finish 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in a game among all the players on the Buzztime network. Trophies, (as well as Local Wins and Network Top 100 finishes) are used to calculate your ranking as a player at your home venue. Unlike Badges and PlayersPlus Points, which continue to accumulate, Trophies expire after six months.

 • Finally, as a member, you'll be eligible to win occasional random prizes (my wife recently won a pair of vouchers for free movie tickets), and you'll also be eligible to compete in occasional network-wide Buzztime contests.

 Contests???

 Back in April, a group of dedicated players – my wife and I among them – at the Village Inn entered a Buzztime competition called The Smartest Bar Six. We finished 1st in our geographic region, and thereby qualified for the Finals. On the four Monday nights in August, 80 teams nationwide – the Village Inn among them – will be competing for the honor of Buzztime's Smartest Bar. 

  In the next installment, along with more information about Buzztime at the Village Inn, I'll report on our progress in the Smartest Bar Six competition.